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Staffing

Examiner: Graeme SeniorModerator: Gerry Tehan

Requisites

Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in the following Program: BPSH

Rationale

This course constitutes the start to the professional preparation program. Three concurrent streams are utilised in this and all future apprenticeship skills courses: Research capabilities; professional skills development; and work integrated learning.

Synopsis

This course deals with the fundamental issues of research and professional skills. With respect to psychological research skills we start by introducing the language of research by introducing the basic constructs of any research program. We want to ensure that students understand the relationship between theory and its operationalisation through the manipulation and measurement of concrete variables and how hypotheses can be constructed from such considerations. With respect to professional skills development, the foundation of all professional practice is the ethical responsibilities of the professional. This course requires students to be aware of and to be able to apply the APS code of ethics to professional issues. Finally, students' introduction to Work Integrated Learning will commence with examining their career development.

Objectives

On successful completion of this course students will be able to:

demonstrate understanding of the link between theory, variables and hypotheses;

demonstrate the ethical principles that underpin both the Canadian Psychological Association and Australian Psychological Society's code of ethics;

apply the APS code of ethics with respect to research and professional practice;

demonstrate their teamwork and knowledge navigation skills via career development tasks.

Topics

Description

Weighting(%)

1.

Research Skills

Psychological Theories

Independent and Dependant Variables

Hypotheses and expected data

Research Design Communicating Research

30.00

2.

Professional Skills

Ethical Principles

Ethical Codes: Australian Psychological Society

Applying Ethics in Professional Psychology

Psychologists Board of Queensland - Competencies

National Practice Standards for the Mental Health Workforce

50.00

3.

Work Integrated Learning

Career Development

Exploring industry and work environments

Professionalism

20.00

Text and materials required to be purchased or accessed

ALL textbooks and materials available to be purchased can be sourced from USQ's Online Bookshop (unless otherwise stated). (https://bookshop.usq.edu.au/bookweb/subject.cgi?year=2012&sem=01&subject1=PSY1104)

There are no texts assigned for this course. All necessary materials will be provided in class and through the course StudyDesk.

Reference materials

Reference materials are materials that, if accessed by students, may improve their knowledge and understanding of the material in the course and enrich their learning experience.

Student workload requirements

Activity

Hours

Assessments

40.00

Class Contact

39.00

Private Study

80.00

Assessment details

Description

Marks out of

Wtg (%)

Due Date

Notes

COMPETENCY TEST - RESEARCH

30

30

28 Feb 2012

(see note 1)

PROFESSIONAL - Case Vignettes

30

30

28 Feb 2012

(see note 2)

PROFESSIONAL - Coding the Code

20

20

28 Feb 2012

(see note 3)

WIL - Workbook

20

20

28 Feb 2012

(see note 4)

NOTES

The examiner will advise all test dates.

The examiner will advise all test dates.

The examiner will advise all test dates.

The examiner will advise all test dates.

Important assessment information

Attendance requirements:
It is the students' responsibility to attend and participate appropriately in all activities (such as lectures, tutorials, laboratories and practical work) scheduled for them, and to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration.

Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
To complete each of the assignments satisfactorily, students must obtain 50% of the marks available for each piece of assessment.

Penalties for late submission of required work:
If students submit assignments after the due date without (prior) approval of the examiner then a penalty of 5% of the total marks gained by the student for the assignment may apply for each working day late up to ten working days at which time a mark of zero may be recorded. No assignments will be accepted after model answers have been posted.

Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must achieve at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course. Note that the Conceded Pass is not available in this course due to APAC accreditation standard 2.1.9.

Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
The final grade for students will be assigned on the basis of the weighted aggregate of the marks (or grades) obtained for each of the summative assessment items in the course.

Examination information:
There are no examinations in this course.

Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
Since there is no examination in this course, there are no supplementary or deferred exams.

University Student Policies:
Students should read the USQ policies: Definitions, Assessment and Student Academic Misconduct to avoid actions which might contravene University policies and practices. These policies can be found at http://policy.usq.edu.au.

Assessment notes

Students who do not qualify for a passing grade may, at the discretion of the Examiner, be assigned additional work to demonstrate to the Examiner that they have achieved the required standard. It is expected that such students will have been assessed as close to satisfactorily completing the Competency Test.

The due date for an assignment is the date by which a student must despatch the assignment to the USQ. The onus is on the student to provide proof of the despatch date, if requested by the Examiner.

Students must retain a copy of each item submitted for assessment. This must be produced within five days if required by the Examiner.

Access to email, discussion groups and the internet is a departmental requirement. Students are expected to open their university provided email account and check it regularly for personal communication. Information sent this way will be regarded as being receivable.

APA style is the referencing system required in this course. Students should use APA style in their assignments to format details of the information sources they have cited in their work. The APA style to be used is defined by the USQ Library's referencing guide. http://www.usq.edu.au/library/referencing